Former Algonquin student's father donates 50 pairs of shoes in son's name

Hassan Noureddine and his wife, Magda Khatibi (rear), delivered 60 pairs of new boots to children at Charles H. Hulse Public School Friday (Dec. 16, 2016) in honour of their slain son, Zach, 25, who was killed almost a year ago during a robbery in Toronto. JULIE OLIVER / POSTMEDIA

It was all hands on feet Friday afternoon at Charles H. Hulse Public School as an Ottawa mother and father handed out brand new boots to 50 students in memory of their son, Zaher “Zack” Noureddine, who was killed in Toronto last year.

Hassan Noureddine and his wife Magda Khatib were at the Alta Vista elementary school to donate the shoes in the name of Zack, who was attacked and killed on Dec. 30, 2015 after what Toronto police called a “brazen robbery.”

“My son loved shoes,” Khatib said, recalling a time when Zack told her he wanted to donate some of his clothing and shoes to the Salvation Army. “He always wanted to do something for the kids.”

Following their son’s death, Noureddine and Khatib created the Zack Noureddine Foundation in an effort to “promote arts entrepreneurship as a key mechanism to avert violence among youth.”

Through various fundraising initiatives this year, the family has been able to donate boots to both Hawthorne and Charles H. Hulse public schools, as well as $1,000 in gift cards to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Oshawa. In October, the foundation hosted a benefit concert called “Zackfest,” which featured a number of local and emerging musicians from the Ottawa area.

A passionate photographer, prints of Zack’s photographs are also for sale on the website. His portfolio includes stills of rapper Childish Gambino performing at Ottawa Bluesfest, a view of Parliament Hill from the Ottawa River and graffiti in the streets of Beirut, Lebanon.

“The idea of the foundation is to avoid violence … and violence comes from need,” Nourredine said, referring to how his son died last December.

Zack was killed after what the Toronto police called a “brazen robbery.” He was struck on the back of the head, causing massive bleeding in his brain, and later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. He was 25. Three men were arrested in the attack.

Zack graduated from Algonquin College in 2014 before moving to Toronto to pursue a career as a music journalist. He began to gain traction in the last year of his life, contributing to online magazine HipHop Canada, as well as photographing and interviewing rap stars such as Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar.

“I miss him so much,” Khatib said. “He was following in my footsteps … I was a journalist too.”

The students of Charles H. Hulse Public School, ranging in age from four to 11, mostly come from newly Canadian and low-income families.

“We have a lot of hungry kids,” said Marian Burke, the school’s office assistant.

Hassan Nourredine contacted the Education Foundation of Ottawa seeking recommendations for schools in need. and the foundation connected him with Hulse principal Laurie Kavanagh. The school administration then provided Noureddine with the shoe sizes of those deemed most in need of winter boots.

“We need to feel positive,” Nourredine said. “We’re happy to do it.”

— With files from Priscilla Hwang and Robert Sibley

Former Algonquin student's father donates 50 pairs of shoes in son's name

It was all hands on feet Friday afternoon at Charles H. Hulse Public School as an Ottawa mother and father handed out brand new boots to 50 students in memory of their son, Zaher “Zack” Noureddine, who was killed in Toronto last year.

Hassan Noureddine and his wife Magda Khatib were at the Alta Vista elementary school to donate the shoes in the name of Zack, who was attacked and killed on Dec. 30, 2015 after what Toronto police called a “brazen robbery.”

“My son loved shoes,” Khatib said, recalling a time when Zack told her he wanted to donate some of his clothing and shoes to the Salvation Army. “He always wanted to do something for the kids.”

Following their son’s death, Noureddine and Khatib created the Zack Noureddine Foundation in an effort to “promote arts entrepreneurship as a key mechanism to avert violence among youth.”